December 2024 – Site Title

The Last Walk

It’s the last walk for this year. The weather has kept me away for the last week or so. There has been lots of fog and add the constant fine rain or drizzle as some may call it and you’ve got weather that is neither fit for man nor beast to venture out in.

Today, there is no sun and the same thick fog is playing havoc with visibility but now we have to contend with frost as well. Looking out of the kitchen window this morning I noticed that the rooftops are dressed in white making it look spooky in the dawning light.

I’m dressed for the weather. I’ve got my Down jacket on, gloves on my hands, a scarf around my neck but decided against a hat since I just washed my hair last night and winter caps do not do justice when it comes to long hair! Vain? You can say that.

The fields are shrouded in pea soup thick fog and it is cold, much colder than it has been. However, the trees are frosted and that right there is my belated Christmas present from Mother Nature! They look like they’re straight out of a picture postcard and gorgeous doesn’t even begin to describe it!

It was quiet as I walked, my hands shoved into my jacket as I took in the view before me. Nothing was moving except for a few crows picking at the frozen ground for whatever they could find and as I passed them they let out a loud caw in unison. They are loud creatures and not to my liking but they are a part of the fields and there are plenty of them here.

The herons seem to have taken refuge from the cold and that’s sad because my heart soars whenever I see them. I have a soft spot for them or perhaps for the luck they might bring. Out of nowhere, I spot three deer in the field. Suddenly, one of them runs towards me and my breath catches in my throat because that has never happened before. Just as suddenly, it stops and watches me as I make a loud clicking noise with my tongue more out of fear than anything else. It was enough to scare it away and they turned and ran off in the opposite direction.

The rest of the walk was calm and peaceful as usual. I can hardly believe that the year is almost over. We’ve almost gone through 365 days in a blink of an eye or so it seems. They say time flies when you’re having fun but that hasn’t been the case as far as I am concerned so why is time flying like it has wings? Could it have to do with getting older? Hmm….maybe but whatever it is, the new year is waiting in the wings and good or bad, it will be here soon.

Take care fields and I’ll see you in the New Year.

Start the New Year Right!

Here’s how to start the New Year on the right foot. These traditions from around the globe according to Afar.com shows you how the rest of the world welcomes the new year in.

Eating lucky foods is one way to do it. Most of Latin America eats 12 grapes or raisins on New Year’s Eve. Italy, on the other hand, eats 12 spoonfuls of lentils – one with each of the 12 chimes of the clock at midnight. The French eat a stack of pancakes. The Germans prefer marzipan shaped like a pig for good luck and in the Netherlands people eat doughnuts and ring shaped food. In the U.S., it’s collard greens and black-eyed peas.

In the Phillipines, the Filipino community believes that wearing round shapes like polka dots promotes prosperity and good luck. Eating round fruits like oranges, grapes, watermelon and pomelos counts as well.

In Brazil, wearing white on New Year’s Eve symbolizes peace and spiritual cleansing. At midnight, everyone runs into the water to jump over seven waves, each wave represents resolutions or hopes for the New Year.

If you want a year filled with travel and new experiences, do what the Mexicans do. They walk around with an empty suitcase or they take a full lap around the block with their empty luggage. Worth a try?

In Cuba, people gather all of the bad spirits and negative energy from the past 365 days and toss them out the front door. You’ll see buckets full of dirty water flying out of homes during the countdown to midnight. Just don’t get any splashed on you, if you know what I mean. Actually, I’m thinking of trying this one myself!

Podariko is a Greek custom where they hang pomegranates in their households and this is thought to bring good luck. Just before midnight, they shut off the lights and leave the house and then one lucky individual is sent to reenter the house but with the right foot first. A second person will smash the pomegranate against the door with their right hand. The more juicy seeds that spill out, the more luck the new year will bring.

In Russia, they use 12 seconds of silence before the stroke of midnight to make wishes.

In Denmark, the Danes will jump off a chair or sofa literally jumping into the new year! Good luck if you do and bad luck if you don’t.

The Italians and the Spanish take it to another level. They all wear red underwear for luck. Now, you know what’s under the clothes they’re wearing!

In Japan they feast on prawns believed to bring a long life and herring roe to boost fertility. Hmm….

The Irish bang the outside walls of their houses with bread to keep away bad luck and evil spirits. Why bread? Ask them.

There you have it, some of the traditions used to welcome the new year in. I’ll add one more. I was married to a German and my ex mother-in-law used to cook a big pot of pork ribs with sauerkraut and black-eyed peas for days on end before New Year and she swears that eating it on New Year’s day brings good luck. I used to eat it simply because that was the main dish for New Year! Did it bring luck? Your guess is as good as mine!

HAPPY NEW YEAR folks with whatever traditions you use to bring the New Year in. Let’s hope this next year will be a good one and that’s what matters.

Have an amazing day.

Nostalgic Longings

I think it is those days when I was young and running wild as the proverbial tomboy in the woods behind my home. It was a time of freedom and not caring for the norms that life or society stipulates on how you should be. No rules, no regulations and no listening to that inner voice, just letting go and living life as it was meant to be.

Those days are gone but I if I had a chance to go back there again, I would! Some days the rebellion sets in and I still jump in duck puddles when no one is looking but it is far and few. I am all prim and proper now but don’t let that fool you, there is that little “wild child” still inside of me. Some days I revisit those days and it still brings a smile to my face. Good memories of days gone by but still precious and they live on in the grown-up me. Mom, if you’re listening, I am more like you wanted me to be, more of a “lady” but I can tell you, it is NOT that much fun!

Daily writing prompt

What makes you feel nostalgic?

View all responses

2024 in Recap

Should old acquaintance be forgot

And never brought to mind?

Should old acquaintance be forgot

In the days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear

For auld lang syne

We’ll drink a cup of kindness yet

For the sake of auld lang syne

I never quite understood what the lyrics are trying to say but each year when the year rolls to an end, we raise our glasses to this time-worn and popular song as if our lives and the new year depended on it AND bid Adieu to the year that will soon become a memory as the new year takes its place.

It is tradition some may say but there are also other traditions. How about those well-meant resolutions that we painstakingly jot down meaning every word of it only to let it gather dust in some dusty corner of your desk or room. Or if you’re like me, I have every intention of working on every single one of them but as the year comes to a close, I realize I’ve managed to keep up with only half of them. What about the other half? Well, they’re left forgotten or if I’m honest enough, too difficult to even take it a quarter of the way!

Let’s see. This year has been one of ups and downs. I’ve managed to keep a hold on what is necessary to move forward by working on myself. What does that mean? I’ve been using the three-pronged attack method but before you rush off to Google this, it is something I came up with myself. The three are your mental, physical and emotional health. I’ve taken my physical and mental self to task. Daily walks, meditation, deep breathing, workouts and writing not to mention a few visits to the beauty salon to keep that skin glowing have all helped with mental acuity and to keep my physical form in the best shape ever. What about the cheesecake fetish? Well, I should have added a few more pounds on my small frame but the workouts and the walks have done wonders in that respect. However, cheesecake is on the chopping block for the new year!

The emotional side has been harder. I’ve had to cut ties with some people who did not or were not contributing to my overall well-being. I had to let go of what did not serve me in order to find out what does. It was hard but I need to trust in the process and believe that doing so is to my best interest. I’m worthy, worthy of respect, love and friendships of a better variety.

No, this year did not bring me the “love” I was looking for but it did teach me that not everyone brings love into your life. Some come to teach you that there is a “better” out there. A better someone who will respect , love and accept you for who you are and that’s worth waiting for.

So, this year has been an eye-opener. I know that I’m set in my ways and as stubborn as a mule at times. I know I need to set my standards a little lower and not to take on losing battles. I know that I need to be grateful for all the lessons I’ve learned this year and as I move on to the next, those same lessons will help to catapult me to a “NEW YEAR” filled with possibilities, love and most of all peace I HOPE.

WISHING ALL OF YOU AND TO MY READERS (you are much appreciated) A NEW YEAR FILLED WITH WONDROUS POSSIBILITIES.!

Have an amazing day.

Relationships

In my opinion, relationships are hard. There are ups and downs and sometimes they don’t contribute to your well-being. I find it hard navigating through relationships and at times I’ve had to let some go because it didn’t serve me and my needs.

One relationship that has had a positive impact on me is the one I have with Chachi, the cat. This little guy is a handful and a macho at times but if there is a “perfect” relationship then this is it. It is one where I do the talking and he listens. Not always but that adoring look does go straight to the heart. What he is really thinking that is another story altogether! We know our boundaries and as long as that is respected all is well in this household. It is a sort of give and take but what I get from him is hard to explain. It is comfort, warmth and definitely love as Chachi sees fit and that too is part and parcel of this relationship. Not always a win-win situation but I’ll take it. I am more relaxed in his presence and less stressed and that has made a positive impact on my life.

Daily writing prompt

What relationships have a positive impact on you?

View all responses

The Storytellers

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.com

“We are all unreliable narrators, not just in the way we tell our stories to others, but how we tell them to ourselves.” Deb Caletti

We love telling stories don’t we? I think our whole existence is based on telling stories. We add and subtract as we see fit and sometimes or rather more often than not we blow it out of proportion to fit the narrative. The narrative that we see as our reality.

“The stories we tell ourselves shape our lives. They shape who we believe we are, and this belief translates into who we become.” John Assaraf

Something happens and off we go overthinking and putting a story together in our minds. “I’m not good enough,” comes to mind if there has been a rejection of some kind or if something doesn’t go exactly like we want. It could also be someone we like but who turned us down but the reality is that this person is not what we need and is not good for us but we drum up this story about how great he/she is and before you know it, we’ve got the dream person staring back at us but in reality they are far from it. We cling to the stories we tell ourselves but it doesn’t stop there. It morphs and changes shape until that “not being good enough” transforms into something we don’t recognize anymore. If that isn’t bad enough, we look for different angles to make it as bad as possible until there’s no climbing out of the hole YOU dug for yourself. Now, you’re facing a huge problem but one of your own making.

Yes folks, some of us are great storytellers and let’s add doomsday soothsayers to that and you’ve got the picture. The problem is we “buy” the stories we tell and we do put some doozies out there that could earn us the Nobel Prize if there is one for such storytelling!

“The stories we tell ourselves shape our reality. If you want to change your life, change the narrative you’ve believed up to this point.” Unknown

Tell yourself YOU are good enough. YOU can change the narrative. YOU can tell better stories than of the doomsday variety. YOU are capable and YOU can take whatever life throws at you and come out the winner. YOU, my friend, have it in you to come out with the best story possible. Make it your very best but you’ve got to change the narrative. Take “I can’t” and “It’s not possible” to “I can” and “I’m going to do it!” I keep telling myself that as well.

“The only thing keeping you from what you want is the story you keep telling yourself about why you don’t have it.” Tony Robbins

Let’s stop embellishing and making up stories, ones that if given the chance will bring us down and keep us there. Let’s change them to the positive variety, the kind that will get us on the way and into something better. Reality is sometimes just that, you take what is handed to you and work to make it your best reality without all the extra frills. You know what I mean.

LET’S DO THIS! Let’s change the stories we tell ourselves from that of the downtrodden to flying high! WE CAN DO THIS!

Have an amazing day.

If I Started a Sports Team…

It would have bright colors, something eye-catching as the logo. Add, Chachi, the cat as the mascot and you’ve got a winning team. The cry would be, “Fast, Furious and Fight! Fight! Fight! ”

The little cutie is a macho in disguise! Any sports team would be proud to have him as their mascot. He looks like a little lion at times and with his cross-legged stance, he draws you in like a magnet!

Daily writing prompt

If you started a sports team, what would the colors and mascot be?

View all responses

The “Me” Concept

Who am I? Sounds simple enough but this is a hard one to answer. It encompasses all of you, the big picture so to speak. Who you are, what you stand for, what shaped you and the experiences that have made you, the “YOU” of today are all part and parcel of this concept. Understanding yourself is vital to how you interact with the world around you. There is only one YOU, and your identity is unique, It is made up of your values, your beliefs, your relationships and your experiences and that in a nutshell is who you are as a person.

However, interacting with the world around you is not always an easy thing to do. It is much bigger than you are and sometimes downright scary. Here are some quotes that speak to the heart of the matter and might even help with where you are in the grand scheme of things as far as your world is concerned.

“Focus on the step in front of you, not the whole staircase.” Unknown

One step at a time if you want to get somewhere and looking at that whole journey might just be a tad too overwhelming to say the least. Do it slowly and carefully and you’ll get there when the time is right.

“Once you learn how to be happy, you won’t tolerate being around people who make you feel anything less.” Unknown

Absolutely worth taking a note of. How often do we hang around people who make us feel less than we are? It is time to clean house and start afresh with people worthy of your company.

“The problem isn’t that your friends aren’t showing up for you…

The problem is that you’re still calling them friends.” Unknown

“You become like the 5 people you spend the most time with.

Choose carefully” Unknown

How true? Choose your friends carefully and the rest will fall into place.

“If you ever find yourself in the wrong story,

LEAVE.” Mo Willems

If something is not working and it becomes a struggle, change your strategy. You are not stuck where you are, there is always a way out to start anew. You just need to have the courage to say “I can do this” and move on.

“She wanted something else, something different, something more, passion and romance, perhaps, or maybe quiet conversations in candlelit rooms, or perhaps something as simple as not being second.” Nicholas Sparks

There you have it. Stop being the option and start being the priority. Stop choosing people who do not choose you.

Understand this….

“You can sound confident and have anxiety. You can look healthy but feel like shit. You can look happy and be miserable inside. You can be good looking and feel ugly. So be kind, because every person is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” Unknown

Kindness matters so JUST BE KIND!

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.

Watch your words, for they become actions.

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

This actually speaks to the whole concept of who you are. What you do eventually becomes your character. Choose wisely and do the right thing.

“Learn to be done with people, not mad, not bothered but just done.” Unknown

This is hard for someone like me. It takes a lot to say I am done but I am learning. Sometimes it is a matter of survival the choices you make. Choose wisely.

“In the end, she became more than what she expected. She became the journey, and like all journeys, she did not end. She simply changed directions and kept going.” Unknown

This last one is poignant. I am on a journey of self-discovery and self-development and in so doing I am learning to give up what does not serve me, to change directions and to move towards what does. Not always easy I know but this is where self-awareness and self-worth comes in to guide you and to make it just a little less scarier than it is.

Have an amazing day.

My Political Views Over Time

I can be very political having written numerous articles over the subject but these days I tend to back away and stay quiet at times when I shouldn’t. However, when something seems so unjust or is colored with racist undertones, I speak out as I did with my article on “Magdeburg Germany,” where the horrific Christmas market killings took place.

Perhaps, my article “Trumpenitus” speaks clearly on my shift from being a Trump supporter to speaking out against him and his policies. Some people I know tend to have the same views but do nothing about it but I believe that “words” do have power and it can be used to bring good to an otherwise unjust world at times.

Daily writing prompt

How have your political views changed over time?

View all responses

Christmas Adieu!

Photo by Christiyana Krüger on Pexels.com

It has come and gone. The time of year where some wait religiously to put on their best light show and see who can outdo whom! The festival of lights in the Christian sense is now more about presents, presents, and more presents. Add the food fest and raucous family gatherings and you have the Christmas of today.

Never mind about that. It has come and gone and for some, it was a dreadful time especially if you are faraway from family and loved ones and had to spend it alone. It brings home “loneliness” and being “lonely” to another level. I hope you survived it as I did.

I was going to spend it alone and was prepared to do so with no problems at all. However, a friend was going to be alone as well as he had decided not to spend it with his son and family. Misery loves company as they say. He came over armed with roses and presents and even a present for Chachi, the cat!. How thoughtful but Chachi wasn’t buying any of it! He kept his distance and his mistrust showed in those big eyes and sweet face of his.

“Hey buddy, don’t try anything with my mommy!” was the message he gave and it came across loud and clear.

Dinner was nice. It was a low-key affair although he came dressed to please and I stayed in my sweats! I did deliver a good one. The menu consisted of wild boar in chestnut sauce, red cabbage and dumplings. Dessert was cookies and cake. You guessed it. It was cheesecake! We called it a night at 8 p.m. and Chachi, the cat, became the “main man” again. Exactly how he likes it.

If you’re wondering if he’s the one, it’s a definite no. He’s nice enough but there’s something missing and something else keeps telling me NO! It must be my usual, “No one is good enough,” stance or my intuition is working overtime to guide me in the right direction. Let’s hope it’s the intuition part.

Christmas Day found me in my pjs all day and breathing a sigh of relief that I didn’t have to bother with cooking and putting on a spread. It was leftovers and that was perfectly fine. I watched stand-up comedy which kept me laughing and I had Chachi, the cat, cuddled up next to me. It was a nice Christmas but I’m glad it has come and gone. Next up is New Year’s Eve but I’m opting for the quiet variety as well. A recluse? Seems that way doesn’t it? I’m loving it and that’s all that matters.

Have an amazing day.